The Stigmatism That Comes With Having A Mental Illness

I don't often tell people that I have a mental illness because they say things like your crazy, your a nut, or your insane. People make judgments on what they don't know much about. There are some great people such as poets, actors, celebrities that suffer or have suffered from a mental illness. Linda Wagner, Kristy McNichole, Brittney Spears, Edgar Allen Poe, Mariah Carey, Thomas Edison, Mozart, just to name a few. These are all great people who are not quote unquote the norm but, they were or are successful in what they do. They're are gifted people in all walks of life. But, personally I think mentally ill people get treated a lot different. Whether it be from family, friends, co-workers, bosses and so on and so forth. I know a couple of guys who attend the same mental healh facility as myself that are just exceptionally talented in writing poetry. They have been published and you would never think just to look at them, that they have a menal illness. For prime example there is this guy that has a Phd. in Economics and he can't get a job because of his mental illness, not to mention his over qualifications. So what he did was he continued his education in a different field, so that he can still be successful in life. Mental Illness is a disease that is very treatable but, like the common cold is not curable. People tend to have a chemical inbalance in their brain where the neurotransmitters are, making the brain not function the way a person who is not diagnosed with a mental illness functions. Schizophrenics tend to hear voices, become paranoid, sometimes experiencing psychosis and etc. Someone like myself who suffers from Bipolar Disorder will experience Mania as well as Hyper-Mania. They tend to stay really energized, high and keep going for about a week or two until the body shuts down and they start to come off of the high, then they start experience a low feeling that includes deep depression that is sometimes hard to pull yourself out of. I know that there are alot of books that you can read on differnet types of mental illnesses but, I hope that the info that you have received from me will put things kind of in perspective. So the next time you meet someone, whom you think may have a mental illness, just be polite and ask them how their day is going and be prepared because they might tell you their life story or they may just say, "Good and yours?" and the fact you were nice enough to ask could very well make their day.